Newark Mayor Ras Baraka sidestepped federal charges after being detained on May 9 at the city’s ICE Detention Center. He previously likened federal immigration officials to slave catchers during a campaign rally last month.
“People are saying it’s tough living in New Jersey. Well, honestly, it’s been tough for us for quite some time,” Baraka stated while speaking in Willingboro on April 13. He pointed out that “black people” often come from backgrounds of undocumented individuals.
“If they find out you don’t have your paperwork, you’re basically heading back to the plantation,” he remarked. “They chase after you, they catch you. Back then, they didn’t call it ICE.”
Baraka joined a group of Democratic figures, including Newark City Councilman Kenyatta Stewart and state representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and Lamonica McQuiber, in protesting the reopening of the ICE Facility at Delaney Hall.
While some in Congress claimed they were granted access, the federal government stated that Baraka had trespassed and was subsequently “detained.”
New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Haba opted not to pursue charges against Baraka. However, she did file criminal charges against McQuiver for “attacking, obstructing and resisting law enforcement.”
Haba mentioned that, after “extensive consideration,” she chose to dismiss Baraka’s violations to “move forward,” and stated that he could still tour Delaney Hall in the future.
“I’ve tried to resolve these matters without filing criminal charges, and I extended an opportunity for Representative McQuiver, but she unfortunately declined,” Haba commented. “No one is above the law, not even politicians.”
Footage from the encounter at the ICE Center, which Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin termed a “peculiar political stunt,” depicted McQuiver yelling at agents while trying to maneuver through security checks.
Baraka also seemed to voice opposition to the Trump administration’s efforts to challenge birthright citizenship during the April rally.
“The 14th Amendment exists because you were being chased. Your citizenship was questioned because you were undocumented,” he asserted to his supporters.
He criticized attempts by Trump to weaken the 14th Amendment, emphasizing, “This guy tries to confuse it and undermine it.” Baraka clarified that anyone born or naturalized in the U.S. is a citizen and that this should not exclude children of illegal immigrants or those partaking in “birth tourism.”
Representatives from Baraka’s campaign did not respond to inquiries for comments.
